Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Close HB Wheel out of Shotgun Split Close lines up two receivers tight to the formation with the HB releasing out of the backfield on a wheel route up the sideline, while the two inside receivers run a deep out and a corner-post combo to clear space vertically. The remaining outside receiver runs a shallow drag across the field underneath, giving the quarterback an immediate checkdown if the wheel is covered. This is a man beater built to exploit linebackers or safeties who try to stay attached to the HB out of the backfield, with the primary read progression going HB wheel first, then working back to the shallow drag underneath.
Defensive Reads
Watch for a linebacker or safety walking down to spy the HB pre-snap, which signals the defense is prepared to take away the wheel route. If the corner over the two inside receivers bails deep at the snap, that is a strong indicator of zone coverage, which favors the shallow drag over the wheel. Man coverage with no safety help over the top on the HB side is the ideal scenario for this play, since the wheel route stretches man defenders vertically down the sideline. User-controlled defenders dropping into a lurk position over the middle can jump the shallow drag route, so be ready to reset the progression to the wheel if that happens. A nano blitz or aggressive edge pressure package can disrupt the timing of the wheel route release, so check protection or slide the HB into a chip block before releasing.
Usage Tips
Use this play on early downs or third and short when defenses are more likely to play man coverage rather than sitting in soft zone.
Check the flow of the linebackers pre-snap: if they are aligned tight to the box with no clear wheel spy, the HB wheel has a strong chance to win against man coverage.
Motion is not shown here, but pair this play with Drive HB Wheel in the same set to keep defenders guessing about which wheel route concept is coming.
If the defense shows Cover 3 or Cover 4 shell, be ready to check down to the shallow drag route since the wheel will run into deep zone defenders.
Sequence this play after calling Mesh or Mesh Spot earlier in the drive so linebackers start cheating toward underneath crossers, opening up the wheel route vertically.
